Cola Boyy's Posthumous Album 'Quit to Play Chess' Sets May Release

March 17th sees a year since the passing of Matthew Urango – aka – the “disabled disco innovator” – aka – Cola Boyy, forever remembered by family, friends, and fellow collaborators. To honor this occasion his label, Record Makers, has announced his sophomore album Quit to Play Chess, coming out May 23rd.

Cola Boyy worked on the album right up until he passed away, approving the mastering that very day, making the release date the only posthumous thing about it. With the announcement, the team has unveiled a new song from the forthcoming “Babylon."

The new album was designed as capsules where hip-hop and R&B flourish (scratching, brass samples, pitched vocals, among others) merge, and enrich Cola Boyy’s sound without distorting the groovy DNA of his music. While his previous album unfolded as a radiant disco-funk manifesto, Quit to Play Chess, transcends stylistic boundaries with songwriting that is strikingly immediate.

At its core, Cola Boyy’s music will continue to serve as a soundtrack for revolutions: against ableism, inequality, and xenophobia. He used music as a message to bring people together, shining a light on the things we all have in common instead of the things that divide us. Quit to Play Chess was created with trusted collaborators Lewis Of Man, Andrew VanWyngarden, co-leader of MGMT, Jared Solomon (Remi Wolf, Lola Young, Fousheé) and Nate Fox (Chance The Rapper and Lil Wayne).

In 1918, French iconoclast Marcel Duchamp stepped away from the art market he had been helping to revolutionize. Alone in America for five years, he decided to cultivate his passion for chess. In time, he would consider the game "purer than art" and become a master, to the point of becoming less creatively prolific for the rest of his career.

This is the reference Cola Boyy picked for the title of his second album “Quit to Play Chess”. You can feel the echoes of Duchamp’s story in the life of Matthew Urango (his real name): a musician who managed to reinvigorate funk and disco with just a handful of revolutionary releases, celebrated by both his peers and the public. Cola Boyy’s journey also shares its abruptness, with Matthew Urango passing away the day he delivered his new record on March 17, 2024, at the tender age of 34.

Whilst this context adds poignancy to the title, the sense of buoyant fulfilment that runs through the record makes it clear that whilst it’s the final studio album of his career, it’s no less significant. On the follow-up to his debut EP (“Black Boogie Neon”, 2018) and a first album (“Prosthetic Boombox”, 2021), Cola Boyy updates his references with a burst of hyper-generous inventiveness.

The self-styled "disabled disco innovator," Matthew was open and vocal about his disabilities - he had spina bifada and scoliosis and wore a prosthetic leg, which he proudly put on blast on the cover of his debut album. He was never shy to speak up for the rights of the working classes, informed by his childhood growing up in Oxnard, a historically agricultural community in Southern California with a large undocumented population, many of which are exploited and underpaid. The city’s vibrant punk scene is where his musical talent began to take shape, with early projects El Mariachi and Sea Lions proving vital experiences.

After discovering his demos on Soundcloud, French label Record Makers signed him and released his first EP, gaining recognition with the singles “All Power to the People” and “To Be Rich Should Be a Crime” (a cover of Jeb Loy Nichols, a hidden gem of country-soul), leading him to open for MGMT on their “Little Dark Age” tour, and be invited to perform at Coachella in 2019: a novel experience for such a new act.

It was in France that Matthew found the resources that would enrich his first album: featuring Nicolas Godin (AIR), Pierre Rousseau (Paradis), Myd, and Infinite Bisous, “Prosthetic Boombox” was released in 2021. Featuring guest stars like The Avalanches and Andrew VanWyngarden on standouts “Don’t Forget Your Neighborhood” and “Kid Born In Space”, the project was praised for both its technical qualities and its message. Cola Boyy was defiantly positive: using music as a message to bring people together, shine a light on the things we all have in common instead of the things that divide us. He was the epitome of an engaged artist, a role that came with certain pressures.

Unable to return to France due to the Covid pandemic, he naturally turned to the music of his youth and collaborated with producers from his hometown in Oxnard. Less militant in spirit, this project draws more from the artist’s personal life to sharpen his commentary on the real world. The distinctly contemporary energy that flows through the album is also a testament to Matthew's fine creative intuition throughout his life.

Photo credit: Thomas Fulford